The present disclosure relates generally to electrical connectors and, particularly, to an apparatus and system for mounting a connection device through an aperture in a panel and providing floating movement between the connection device and the panel.
Connectors designed for mounting through an aperture in a panel are known. For instance, a connector housing may be disposed at a first side of the panel, with a mating portion of the connector projecting through the aperture to a position projecting from a second side of the panel. Often, it is desirable that the connector “float” relative to the panel. That is, the connector can move within the aperture relative to the panel.
Panel mounted connectors, particularly when provided with floating movement, typically are complicated to manufacture and/or use. Complicated or intricate components used to provide floating movement lead to higher manufacturing costs. Often, such connectors take up large areas on the panel. For example, many panel mounted connectors have flanges which are necessarily long to envelope mounting screw holes and longer still to include larger diameter holes around the screws to provide X and Y axis float. The long flanges increase the overall area of the panel covered by a connector, and reduce the density of connector placement when end-to-end mounting is desired. The present invention provides a simple apparatus for supporting a variety of connection devices in an aperture in a panel, with floating movement between the connection device and the panel, while providing improved end-to-end connector/carrier/contactor mounting density.